I think there are ways around the limit if you know what to do.
Cable cutters -- how do you get internet?
- Thread starter omni550
- Start date
You have a special case with free cable in one location and a Tivo Roamio there as well.
#1 Use Roku and sign up for the channels that you have available in FL. Most will verify you are a Comcast customer by having you sign into Comcast. There is pretty wide availability of the major cable channels, but you can check the Roku sight to wee what's available. That won't work for local channels, but an antenna covers that locally.
#2 Buy a Tivo Stream to go with your Roamio if you want to watch your local FL channels remotely. Works best to a phone, but I think an Android TV box would work as well. Be careful, Tivo won't always stream cable channels. It is particularly limited on a computer. It should be fine for your broadcast channels. I also have Slingbox which works better but has been discontinued.
#1 Use Roku and sign up for the channels that you have available in FL. Most will verify you are a Comcast customer by having you sign into Comcast. There is pretty wide availability of the major cable channels, but you can check the Roku sight to wee what's available. That won't work for local channels, but an antenna covers that locally.
#2 Buy a Tivo Stream to go with your Roamio if you want to watch your local FL channels remotely. Works best to a phone, but I think an Android TV box would work as well. Be careful, Tivo won't always stream cable channels. It is particularly limited on a computer. It should be fine for your broadcast channels. I also have Slingbox which works better but has been discontinued.
pb4uski
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
That's silly. You're still getting internet service through the cable.
How come it is that you have to argue over every little thing?
It is well established vernacular that cable cutting is getting rid of cable TV in favor of OTA or streaming or a combination thereof. We're talking about TV, not about who provides internet service.
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mountainsoft
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
I have an outdoor antenna to get over the air TV. I record shows I'm interested in on my computer then stream them over my home network to the media player in my living room. We also have Netflix streaming, Netflix DVD/Blurays, and a variety of shows I download from YouTube and other online sources. We have more TV to watch than we have time for.
I get my internet service through Comcast. I dropped their TV service years ago, but they're my only real option for broadband internet. DSL isn't available in our rural area, the topography blocks wireless, we have too many trees for satellite, and can't even get a good cell signal here. So, I fork over money to Comcast every month as much as I wish there was a cheaper option.
I get my internet service through Comcast. I dropped their TV service years ago, but they're my only real option for broadband internet. DSL isn't available in our rural area, the topography blocks wireless, we have too many trees for satellite, and can't even get a good cell signal here. So, I fork over money to Comcast every month as much as I wish there was a cheaper option.
truenorth418
Full time employment: Posting here.
Mobile hotspot through my iPhone. Starbucks.
It is impossible to argue alone. I express my perspectives in the various discussions just like everyone else. What happens next is solely up to others. The fact of the matter is that I have different perspectives from some people who seem to be unwilling to allow someone with opposing perspectives to express their perspectives as everyone else does without escalating the discussion into an argument. So I suggest if it is the argument you don't care for then just express your perspective, allow me to express mine, and then just leave it at that.
Regardless, my point is that it isn't cord cutting (or cable cutting) if you're still paying the cable company for internet. It just moves the model toward metered broadband. And I foresee the vapid whining when the ISPs change their internet pricing models such that they are still getting the same profit as before, just from different line items from before.
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pb4uski
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Then you are totally alone in that perspective (read the rest of the thread... no one agrees with you)... we're talking about no longer buying cable or satellite TV... not whether we use a cable company for internet. Your "insight" about still paying the cable company for internet isn't relevant to the discussion.
If you think that readers of this thread are representative of the population of the country - heck, if you think the readers of this thread are even remotely close to the typical American in terms of their life situations - then nothing I say will likely matter to you. Regardless, the fact that a lot of people all share the same self-motivated wishful thinking doesn't have any real impact on the actuality of the situation that they will face in the fullness of time.
I think you've forgotten what is the actual difference between your perspective and mine. Perhaps you should revisit that. It has to do with the fact that after the early adopter's advantage runs out, things return to the steady state, with value-based pricing for discretionary purchases (such as for entertainment and leisure activities) prevailing over consumers gaining any substantial leverage over service providers.
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Midpack
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
If demand for traditional TV was staying constant or growing, as it was for decades, you’d probably be right. But since you know so much more than the rest of us, you know that traditional TV viewing (from all sources and including time shifting) is declining with most age groups except 65+, which puts downward pressure on pricing. There are many more alternatives today.
- More and more people are getting news, weather, etc. online vs on TV now.
- More and more people are satisfied with OTA and/or on demand TV only like Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video at around $15/month each or even basic YouTube for “free.” A far cry from the average cable/satellite bill which is over $100/month and topping out at over $200/month.
- Younger folks are spending more and more time on social media/smartphones instead of watching TV.
- Even once bulletproof ESPN has been facing declining subscriptions for years now.
We’ll see how it all shakes out. A new equilibrium or “steady state” may be established. “We” may be wrong and we can accept that. You may be wrong and you can’t...
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audreyh1
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Agree with Midpack.
We watch far less TV than we used to, and it’s exclusively streaming and pretty much just Netflix with occasional PBS or Amazon Prime Video.
We spend a lot more time on our iPads, etc., reading, web-surfing, etc.
I’m not worried about future “equilibrium“ we’re paying very little now for content and there is more content available than we can keep up with. Our internet costs are down in terms of bandwidth costs, our cellphone bills are way down in absolute terms. It’s going to take a while for this trend to reverse. We have lots of flexibility and are not locked into any kind of contract exceeding 1 month.
We watch far less TV than we used to, and it’s exclusively streaming and pretty much just Netflix with occasional PBS or Amazon Prime Video.
We spend a lot more time on our iPads, etc., reading, web-surfing, etc.
I’m not worried about future “equilibrium“ we’re paying very little now for content and there is more content available than we can keep up with. Our internet costs are down in terms of bandwidth costs, our cellphone bills are way down in absolute terms. It’s going to take a while for this trend to reverse. We have lots of flexibility and are not locked into any kind of contract exceeding 1 month.
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target2019
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Cable Cutting means you delete legacy TV, and keep your internet service, or find it elsewhere.
As previously mentioned, we kept the most limited cable TV tier, so we can watch local sports. So it is not necessarily an all or none decision.
As previously mentioned, we kept the most limited cable TV tier, so we can watch local sports. So it is not necessarily an all or none decision.
Chuckanut
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
I don't worry to much about future costs of TV/Cable/Internet entertainment. If it gets to costly, I won't watch it. Most of it has little if any appeal to me. I can count on the fingers of one hand the number of TV shows I would miss if they disappeared.
Need better antenna for my Tivo
So my Tivo doesn't get CBS, even though the tv that it's hooked up to got CBS just fine. The Tivo support people tell me the Tivo needs a stronger signal, so I need to get a new antenna...any suggestions?
Will the antenna recommended by a site I found on another thread (which of course I cannot now find) work for my Tivo? Price is right on amazon! https://www.amazon.com/NoCable-30-D...coding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=CWA9M7B4C9SG3Y9WT5QK
So my Tivo doesn't get CBS, even though the tv that it's hooked up to got CBS just fine. The Tivo support people tell me the Tivo needs a stronger signal, so I need to get a new antenna...any suggestions?
Will the antenna recommended by a site I found on another thread (which of course I cannot now find) work for my Tivo? Price is right on amazon! https://www.amazon.com/NoCable-30-D...coding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=CWA9M7B4C9SG3Y9WT5QK
W2R
Moderator Emeritus
I hardly watch TV any more. BUT - - I need and very much want internet connectivity.
Recently our internet was not working for 2-3 days, for some reason. Frank was just fine, but I was not!!! I guess I don't literally *need* the internet, but I was so unhappy and miserable without it.
In my case, if the internet gets too costly I will just Blow That Dough on it. We really don't have any high speed internet available that is competitive with Cox Cable.
mpeirce
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
The antenna you link to looks similar to the one we have. Ours works pretty well with our TiVo Bolt. Mounting it as high up as you can makes a difference in signal reception. We have ours mounted in our upstairs bedroom up high on the wall, but location and orientation will always be location specific.
What kind of antenna do you use now?
pb4uski
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Back when we had an antenna we had a booster.... amplified the signal that we did receive.... might that work?
ncbill
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
How far are you from the transmitters? (check tvfool.com or antennaweb.com)
In my case, two are ~15 miles away, but the rest ~40 miles away.
For the living room Tivo, I have a large (8-bay) un-amplified UHF antenna in the attic, and still get drop-outs depending on the weather.
For the basement Tivo, I've ordered an amplified outdoor antenna to test:
https://www.solidsignal.com/pview.asp?p=144180
& if it works it will be professionally installed on top of my chimney, since I'm not getting up on a ladder over 30 feet in the air!.
Chuckanut
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Many of us are in the same boat - only one real choice for an internet provider.
I am one of the 'lucky' ones in that I have a choice of two providers - FIOS and the cable company. Not that it helps much. Prices are the same, both require one to be a new customer to get a deal, and service if one needs a tech out to the house, requires a wait of a about a week. Not so good.
Meaningful competition needs at least three players in the market. Look at what T-Mobile did to the cell phone market over that last 5 years! No more contracts, no more fake phone prices, a return to unlimited data (albeit with high speed caps), and lower cost fixed price monthly deals like their 55+ plan.
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"Effective competition" is not dependent on the manner by which a product or service is delivered, just like it does not dependent on the relative prices or quality of different suppliers. There is no legal relevance to "the market for service I personally consider suitable". This was underscored by the lack of effective challenge to the FCC effective competition order which made clear that the market commodity is subscription television service, explicitly including satellite services even though a certain percentage of consumers within the market had no access to such services, much less the inherently lower quality during storms and such. Projecting that into internet service, DSL and dial up both qualify as competitors to broadband. There are more than three dial up ISPs so even without DSL there is effective competition for internet access.
Try challenging that in court if you wish. No one has bothered to do so in the past, and with the reversal in direction of the FCC regarding net neutrality there is even less than zero chance of prevailing with such a claim now.
How far are you from the transmitters? (check tvfool.com or antennaweb.com)
12-14 miles away per antennaweb - I am in Houston city limits.
Booster - this was the first thing I tried, but it doesn't make my signal strong enough unfortunately. May try it on the tv that's not attached to the TiVo to see if it will allow us to get ABC in the den.
Current antenna is pretty old - from when we had the changeover in 2009 or so. Brand is GE, a small table top model. (Am looking for indoor antenna - 1st floor - do not want to put in attic or on roof - too dang hot.)
12-14 miles away per antennaweb - I am in Houston city limits.
Booster - this was the first thing I tried, but it doesn't make my signal strong enough unfortunately. May try it on the tv that's not attached to the TiVo to see if it will allow us to get ABC in the den.
Current antenna is pretty old - from when we had the changeover in 2009 or so. Brand is GE, a small table top model. (Am looking for indoor antenna - 1st floor - do not want to put in attic or on roof - too dang hot.)
mpeirce
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
There may be some circumstances where a amplified antenna might help, but they have never help when I've tried them. YMMV
I'd certainly try the "flat" antenna like you linked to - they are an improvement over many of the older antennas. If it's not a problem, place it up as high on the wall as you can. This made a noticeable difference for us.
Regarding the flat antennas: do you just attach them to a wall and then plug them into a TV or is there more to it than that? And, does each TV need its own antenna?
Yes, and yes.
mpeirce
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
I literally pin the flat antenna to the wall. And it's connect to the TiVo using a thin coax cable.
You can have a separate antenna for each TV or one antenna connected to something like a TiVo Bolt and then share that around the house using something like a TiVo mini over your home network. We do the one antenna thing since the other TV is lower in the house and get's crummy reception.
A few responses to your rather wordy post. And I'm not even sure why I'm bothering...
- Comparing dial up ISP to broadband as competition might fit a legal definition (and I'm not conceding it does)- but would not satisfy most internet customers looking for broadband. Dial up is no longer adequate for most users. With dial up you can't stream video or game. You definitely can't have more than one user in a household checking email at the same time. It is not reasonable to say that if your choices are between a broadband carrier and a dial up or two provider that the dial up provides meaningful competition. That's like comparing a tesla to a bicycle.
- No one (except you) was talking about legal definitions of competition. They were talking about whether there was more than one broadband internet provider.
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